Early Civilizations Reader

EARLY CIVILIZATIONS

IN THE EASTERN HEMISPHERE

Reading study guide

Early Civilizations in the Eastern Hemisphere

Table of contents

introduction to EARLY CIVILIZATIONS IN THE EASTERN HEMISPHERE............................................ 3 CHAPTER 1. ANCIENT Mesopotamia...................... 4 CHAPTER 2. ANCIENT Egypt.................................... 13 Chapter 3. Ancient India.................................... 21 Chapter 4. Ancient China.................................. 28 Early Civilizations in the eastern hemisphere Assessment............................................................37

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Early Civilizations in the Eastern Hemisphere

Introduction to EARLY CIVILIZATIONS IN THE EASTERN HEMISPHERE

Learning Targets

? I can describe the influence of geography on the development of unique civilizations in India, Egypt, China and Mesopotamia.

? I can describe the governments, cultures, economic systems, technologies and agricultural practices and products of early civilizations and their enduring influence in the Eastern Hemisphere today.

The study of ancient civilizations and people raises some important questions: Who are humans? Where did we come from? Where are we going?

The eight features of civilizations include cities, organized central governments, complex religions, job specialization, social classes, arts and architecture, public works and writing. Early peoples developed unique civilizations. Several civilizations established empires with legacies influencing later peoples.

Early civilizations in India, Egypt, China and Mesopotamia had unique governments, economic systems, social structures, religions, technologies and agriculture. These civilizations grew because of good geographic features. River valleys provided sources of water, habitats for plants and animals, ways of transportation, protection from invasions, and access to natural resources. The cultural practices and products of these early civilizations can be used to help understand the Eastern Hemisphere today.

As you investigate early civilizations in the Eastern Hemisphere, see if you can make sense of this statement from author William Faulkner: "The past is never dead. It's not even past." It may help you see where you are going.

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Early Civilizations in the Eastern Hemisphere

CHAPTER 1. ANCIENT Mesopotamia

Learning Targets

? I can describe the influence of geography on the development of ancient Mesopotamia.

? I can describe the government, culture, economic system, technology and agricultural practices and products of ancient Mesopotamia and its enduring influence in the Eastern Hemisphere today.

Terms to Know: ? fertile ? silt ? fertilizer ? surplus ? irrigation ? city-state ? polytheistic ? ziggurat ? cuneiform ? empire

Preview Activity How has each of the following innovations influenced world history?

sailboat

writing system

wheel

literature

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Early Civilizations in the Eastern Hemisphere

Historians often refer to the ancient Near East as the "The cradle of civilization." Many great civilizations rose and fell here. The religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam began in this area.

The Fertile Crescent is the region in which humans first began farming and herding around 8,000 B.C.E. This change from hunting and gathering allowed early humans to settle into permanent villages and to produce a surplus of food.

The area of Mesopotamia (modernday Iraq) within the Fertile Crescent gave rise to the region's most powerful empires and greatest cities. Mesopotamia was the land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.

With a surplus of food, people could focus on developing the skills needed for civilization. Some people became priests, scribes, merchants, artists, teachers, and government officials. They began to build cities and establish empires.

Sumerian City-States (4,000 B.C.E. ? 2,000 B.C.E)

Geography and Agriculture ? The Sumerians settled in Mesopotamia around 4000 B.C.E. They lived in independent, walled city-states.

The climate was very dry. There was very little natural vegetation, and palm trees were the only trees that grew there. The rivers flooded in the spring, and deposited a rich layer of silt on the surrounding floodplain. This silt provided fertilizer for growing crops. Sumerians farmers build large irrigation systems of canals and dams. Before long, the desert was blooming with a surplus of barley, dates, and other crops. They were also the first people to use the plow to lift the silt-rich soil of their crop fields.

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